Pokemon: The Wandering Hero
by theImaginatorAK47
Summary: Enter the world of Pokémon, where heroes are made and champions rise! One Champion in particular; a man who travels endlessly throughout the Pokémon world with the goal of helping others in need.
1. Chapter 1: Mr Striker

_**Author's notes: I've been a fan of Pokemon since I was a three- or- four-year old, and I've been with it ever since. My first game was Emerald, hence the hero's origin of Hoenn. I would've made his hometown Littleroot, but that was a bit mainstream. Besides, there's always a bit more action near Mt. Chimney and Lavaridge, especially in the anime show.**_

_**Now, our hero has been all around the Pokemon world. Starting in Hoenn, he then went to Kanto, then Johto, then Sinnoh, and finally, Unova. His dream that is in the beginning of the story is from a long time ago, after he returned from Unova to investigate some strange activity.**_

_**I own absolutely no aspects of Pokemon, as you could expect. I only make up the situations and names in this particular story, with some help from friends and family.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_**The Wandering Hero**_

_**Prologue**_

Ah, Pokémon… such majestic and wonderful creatures, they are. True, some are more destructive than others, but that is only in their nature, especially when they are defending themselves or others.

Most of us Trainers understand this. The Rangers know it as well, which is why they protect Pokémon from harm.

Pokémon live their lives in peace. Those who choose to travel with us see it as an honor, either that or they see us as worthy travelling companions. It is a mutual choice between Trainer and Pokémon to travel together, grow together, and live together.

Yet there are some… who choose to ignore this.

Those who see Pokémon as tools, weapons even; those who see Pokémon as no more than prizes or money; those who use them for achieving great power or creating mass destruction, all for their own personal gain.

And they have the audacity to claim it's for the greater good…

People like Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, and Team Galactic… all who have been defeated by the infamous Ash Ketchum and his allies. Villains such as Zero, Pokémon Hunter Jay, and the Iron-Masked Marauder, have been locked away or defeated for good, and even others beyond them.

Evil's existence is dwindling.

But it is not so easily removed…

_**Chapter 1**_

The crowd was cheering him on from the crowded stadium, the roar of their cheers ringing in his ears. He had just defeated Cynthia, Champion of the Sinnoh League. Her prized Garchomp had done its best, he could not deny this. It had put up an excellent fight against his own, beating it right back to him in defeat, but it was no match for his well-trained Torterra.

They met at the center of the battlefield. He bowed to show his respect, then got up and shook her hand.

"You fought valiantly, Cynthia. Your efforts showed your glorious care for your Pokémon," he said, his voice echoing across the stadium from the hovering cameras receiving his voice. "I would gladly accept the title of Champion, but that position in the League is rightfully yours. I shall remain on my journeys as the Wandering Hero. You must remain where you are, as were you chosen to be."

Cynthia smiled, her eyes sparkling with joy and affection. He wasn't quite sure, but it looked to him as if she was…

Blushing…

She was about to say something, but was interrupted by…

The camera?

Off to his left, a camera had hovered close to catch the conversation. And all of a sudden, it started…

Beeping?

A subtle _beep-beep! beep-beep!_ was emitting from the camera lens, which didn't look like a camera lens at all. It looked like…

"A watch face?" Cynthia asked aloud. The new Champion stood thinking for a moment. Then it hit him.

"I get it," he said, and pushed a button on the side.

It was his Poketch. The alarm was going off.

"I get it, I get it," he muttered as he shut it off. "Time to wake up." He got out of his tent and stretched. There were some rain clouds in the distance, and he could see a group of Tailow flying the opposite direction. "You guys be careful, you hear? If that thundercloud gets over you, get to shelter as soon as possible!" he shouted to them. They cried in response and went on their way.

Jethro Striker was a living legend throughout the world. Locally from the Hoenn Region, he and his primary Pokémon Blaziken traveled around the globe. They were admired and respected by Trainers and Pokémon alike. He was most famous not only for defeating the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and recently Sinnoh Leagues, but for traveling throughout the world and helping anyone with anything along the way. He was more than happy to accept challenges from any Trainer, even if they were full of themselves or in over their heads. He would always give kind words of wisdom or advice after a match. He made several friends along the way, and never forgot them.

As he finished packing his tent away, Jethro looked back at the thundercloud. The rumbling sound of thunder was unmistakable… and all too familiar.

"Hello, Zapdos," he said, "it's been awhile." He was certain that the legendary bird Pokémon of lightning was in the thundercloud somewhere, watching the world below. The distant cry he heard a few moments later confirmed it. Jethro smiled to himself and double-checked his gear after packing the tent away.

"Okay, tent, backpack, Poketch, Poké Nav, Pokémon, mulit-tool… sword, cooking supplies, medicine, yeh, deh-deh, deh-deh… shoulder armor… shoulder armor… where'd I… oh, here they are… I believe that's it." He looked down the trail ahead of him. "Another new day," he said. "Let's get to it."

The rain had started to come down rather hard, but, as always, Jethro was prepared. He pulled out his jacket and put it on, pulling his hood up to stay warm. He then brought out his umbrella and continued his journey. As he made his way down the trail, he saw a group of Shellos gathered in a small hole in the trunk of a tree. He smiled and waved, and they smiled back. Jethro felt a little warmer inside every time a Pokémon smiled back.

A while after meeting the Shellos, Jethro met up with another group, this one a bit familiar.

"I see you took my advice, Tailow! Keeping dry, are we?" he asked the Tiny Swallow Pokémon. They cried a cheerful response, and one flew down to him and perched on his left shoulder. "Well, hello, little one," Jethro greeted, "you look concerned… not to mention a little wet. Something on your mind?" The Tailow pointed to the tree his friends were perched in and told Jethro its worries. "You have a point… trees aren't exactly the safest place to be in a thunderstorm… yes, moving would be a good idea, but I'm not sure as to where. All the nearby crevices in the cliffs seem to be occupied. Let me think…"

A flash of lightning streaked across the sky, the thunder rattling the tree. The Tailow were severely startled, squawking and flapping wildly.

"Calm down, little ones, you're alright!" he tried to reassure them. He looked up at the sky. "Zapdos must've moved on," he said aloud. Then an idea hit him.

"Torterra, assistance please," he said, as he called out his large friend. Torterra stood beside Jethro, looking at him with its usual friendly smile. "You wouldn't mind if these Tailow took refuge in your tree to wait out this storm, would you?" he asked his friend.

"_Torterra_," replied the large Grass- and Ground-Type as it shook its head, as if to say, 'I don't mind at all'. Jethro smiled.

"Thank you, my friend. Alright, Tailow, let's go!" he said. The Tailow on his shoulder flew to Torterra's tree, inspected it, and cried out to its friends the okay. They flew from their tree to Torterra's in an organized line, one following the other. One Tailow lingered back, shaking. Jethro reached up, extending his hand.

"No need to be afraid, little guy. This storm won't last forever. It'll be alright, my friend and I will take care of you," he reassured. The little Tailow looked at Jethro and then at Torterra. Torterra smiled and nodded, and Tailow hopped into Jethro's hand. "Ooh, you're shivering something fierce, aren't you? If you want, you can stay in my jacket's chest pocket for a while." The little Tailow nodded, and Jethro lowered the little one down to his pocket. Tailow hopped in, snuggled up, and within seconds, was fast asleep. Jethro looked at Torterra, who chuckled and shook its head.

"Oh, come on, I know you think it's cute," Jethro said. Torterra rolled its eyes at him. "Come on, fess up, you know it's cute," Jethro persisted.

Torterra hung its head. "Fine, I admit it, it's cute… you don't have to rub it in, ya know."

Jethro laughed softly. "Well, how else am I supposed to know, Torterra?" he asked.

No, Jethro's Pokémon do not talk human. In fact, he merely understands their language.

*in other words, he is a translator… much like Team Rocket's loudmouth Meowth… in a way…*

After the storm had passed, most of the Tailow flew off into the afternoon. A few remained behind, seeing as though Jethro was going to the next Pokémon Center down the road, and they needed a bit of care from Nurse Joy. Jethro agreed to stay and make sure they were taken care of, and then continue on his journey as soon as they all regained flight.

The doors opened wide to the traveling group. Jethro and Torterra walked up to Nurse Joy, who was standing, as usual, behind the front counter. Her eyebrows rose the second she saw them.

"Jethro Striker! It's an honor, sir!" she said as she bowed in respect.

"Oh, please, Nurse Joy, you're embarrassing me," Jethro said. "Now, I usually stop by these Centers for my own benefit, but this time, it's for some friends of mine. You can help these Tailow, of course?"

"Right away, Mr. Striker! Follow me," Joy said and, along with her Blissey, carried the Tailow from Torterra's tree to the back room for healing. Jethro turned to his Torterra.

"Make sure no one, and I mean no one, gets through, alright?" he ordered. Torterra nodded its head and stood in front of the door.

Jethro pursued Nurse Joy to the back, carrying the Tailow from his jacket pocket carefully in his hands.

"You know, I can take care of that one for you," Nurse Joy said over her shoulder.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd like to care for this one myself," Jethro replied.

"I understand," Joy replied. Jethro looked down at the Tailow in his hands. It was very cold, and hardly breathing. Jethro got an idea.

"Blaziken, I'll need your help with this one," he said. The Poké Ball highest on his backpack strap opened, revealing his prime Pokémon. The martial arts master of Jethro's entire arsenal stood proudly, holding the door for the three of them. "You got any feathers that you don't need anymore?" Jethro asked.

"Don't I always?" Blaziken retorted.

"Good, now follow me," Jethro said, and they both followed the Pokémon Center caretakers.

"Is there a table we can use by ourselves, Nurse Joy?"

"Right over there, Jethro."

"Thank you. Let's get to it, then, Blaziken." Jethro gently set the ill Tailow down on the table and got out his medical kit.

"Let's just hope you've brushed up on your feather transplanting lately, or else this may not work," Blaziken muttered.

"Thank you, Blaziken, for that wonderful reminder," Jethro muttered back. "Feather, please, nice and warm." Blaziken pulled a somewhat loose feather from its abdomen and handed it to Jethro, who had equipped himself with a pair of glasses that acted as magnifying glasses and small pair of tweezers. He took Blaziken's feather and examined Tailow's back, looking for a feather to replace it with. He found one, and very quickly and deftly removed it and put Blaziken's feather in. The brilliant yellow feather was smartly placed smack in the middle of Tailow's back. Smart style and incredible attention to detail were two of Jethro's most recognizable talents. Blaziken brought out two more feathers, these ones a brilliant red, that Jethro used to replace the feathers on the tips of the Tiny Swallow's wings. The next three feathers, tan in color, were transferred from Blaziken's chest to the Tailow's.

Each feather contained a special heat generated from inside of Blaziken. The plan was to give additional body heat to Tailow in attempt to revive it. Seeing as though he had not done this for some time, Jethro was trying his best not to make an error… or cramp up.

"Just do the best you can, Jethro. You may be a bit rusty, but I believe you can do this," Blaziken told him. Jethro gave his star Pokémon a side glance, grinning. He reached back and patted Blaziken on the back.

"I will never understand how you do that, Jethro," Nurse Joy said from across the room. Blaziken turned, jumping slightly, while Jethro remained focused.

"It's simple," he said as he transplanted a rather damaged tail feather with another one of Blaziken's yellow ones, "you just take one feather out, and immediately–"

"No, no, not the transplanting, the way you can talk to Pokémon," Joy clarified. Jethro turned around, smiling.

"Just an awesome gift I was born with, I guess. One heck of a blessing, you could say," he said as he turned back to Tailow. "And then there's the times it can be a curse," he joked as Blaziken gently punched his arm. Nurse Joy laughed and turned back to the rest of the Tailow. Jethro had finished his work in a small amount of time. As he put the Tailow on another table underneath a lamp to regain its warmth, a few of the other Tailow flew over to make sure it was alright. Blaziken sat down next to the table to watch and make sure it recovered fully. It had started breathing regularly, so that was a good sign. Now it just needed to awaken and take flight.

"You guys sure you don't wanna catch up to your flock?" he asked.

_"Tailow! Tail, Tailow!"_ a Tailow replied.

"I see," Jethro said. "Well, whatever works for you, I guess."

"What did it say?" Nurse Joy asked.

"Well, it turns out that they discussed a plan to rendezvous a short distance up the road from here before we arrived. That, and these Tailow chose to leave all together or not at all," Jethro explained.

"I see. So how's the Tailow over there–" before Nurse Joy could finish, there was a crashing sound from down the hallway. Jethro and Blaziken poked their heads out the door. The hallway was empty.

"Go check it out," Jethro said. Blaziken nodded and started walking slowly down the hall. Jethro went to double-check Torterra. It was still standing guard, though the crash had caught its attention. "Not sure," Jethro answered Torterra's concerned look. "I'll let you know." As he turned back, he opened the Ultra Ball at the bottom of his backpack strap.

"Garchomp, assist Blaziken." The Dragon- and Ground-Type nodded and went off to find its companion. Jethro went back into the surgery room. "Hang tight, folks, our program will resume shortly. In the meantime, I suggest you grab some popcorn, a drink… and maybe a secluded spot to hide in," he said.

You'd think that two 6-foot, two-inch tall Pokémon wouldn't be too skilled at tip-toeing down a freakishly silent hall without making so much as a whisper at first glance, but these two were trained by a Pokémon Master. People learned to expect the unexpected with his Pokémon. As Blaziken and Garchomp made their way down the hallway, something caught Garchomp's attention.

"What is it?" Blaziken asked. "What do you see?"

"A food bowl," Garchomp replied quietly. Blaziken blinked a few times, and then put a three-clawed hand to its face.

"Dude… seriously?"

"No, no, I'm not interested in its taste… primarily… what has me focused is how out-of-place it is." Blaziken peered into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a bowl of food sitting squarely in the middle of the counter. Too perfectly placed. The Pokémon looked at each other and nodded. They went back-to-back.

"How stupid are we supposed to be to fall for _that_?" Blaziken asked.

"Very," Garchomp replied as it took a bite out of a pear. Blaziken looked back.

"Where'd you get that?"

"Zipped right in and grabbed it from the food bowl." Blaziken looked in disbelief at Garchomp and then the food bowl. Sure enough, there was a gap where the pear had been.

"You know, you never cease to amaze me," Blaziken said as its partner swallowed the core.

"Well, my name ain't Gar_chomp_ for nothing, now is it?"

"Good point." Garchomp let out a small belch. "Well, excuse– whoa!"

A few of the fruits in the bowl had tumbled off, apparently triggering a net trap. The two stood in shock as they watched it all happen.

"And _that_ is why I _never_ go for the open food bowl," Blaziken said. Something caught his attention. He could feel something move above him. He looked up.

_"Whoa!"_

A Lucario was concealing itself above the two where the wall and ceiling met. What brought it to Blaziken's attention was its soft growling in frustration. It leapt down between the two taller Pokémon, and prepared to fire two Aura Sphere attacks at them. Preparing for a battle, the two took fighting stances. Suddenly…

"Hey, wait a minute… Blaziken, don't we know this guy?" Garchomp asked. Blaziken looked closer, and noticed something familiar. The eyes were wary and battle-worn. The fur was brushed smoothly, and its stance was smartly poised.

"You know, I think you're right!" Blaziken said, surprised. All of a sudden, an idea hit the both of them. Lucario's grin wasn't making them feel any better.

"Aw, _crud_," Blaziken muttered. All three of the Pokémon bolted down the hallway.


	2. Chapter 2: Old Friends and New Ones

Jethro stood outside the surgery door.

He had heard the net trap go off and kept a sharp eye out for anything out of sorts. Torterra had moved to inside of the hall, ensuring that no one could slip by.

Blaziken, Garchomp, and the all-too-familiar Lucario came bounding up the hallway. As soon as Jethro saw the Lucario, his shoulders sank.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. You? Of all the–" he started saying, then stopped abruptly. "Alright, alright," he said, and opened the door. He looked towards the now-awake Tailow. Just as he thought. "As much as I admire your smarts, skill, and technique, you really should start making more subtle appearances," he said.

A young woman a bit shorter than Jethro and a little younger with brown hair and sharp green eyes was standing right beside the Tailow, stroking its chin. She looked up at Jethro and smiled.

"It's good to see you, too, Jethro," she said. Jethro smiled back, and the two embraced. Blaziken signaled to Torterra a thumbs-up, indicating everything was alright.

"How've you been, Eloquence?" Jethro asked. "I haven't seen you for about a month!"

"Well, I've been busy running around as usual. Lucario and myself have been keeping tabs on you for a while. When we heard you beat Cynthia, we just had to find you and congratulate you!" Eloquence, or 'Elly' as she sometimes preferred, replied. She was a notorious tracker, and could hunt down a Pokémon at least a mile away. She wasn't too bad at tracking people, either.

She looked at the smartly-colored Tailow. "Your handiwork?" she asked.

"Yep. Poor thing developed a bit of hypothermia, so I decided to put my feather transplanting skills to the test after so long."

"You haven't lost so much as a glimmer of talent since I saw you last, Jethro," Eloquence reassured him. Jethro smiled proudly. "May have gained a bit of weight, though," she added. Jethro's smile vanished.

"Oh, you evil crusher of pride," was all he could say. Elly laughed. Jethro shook his head and then directed his attention to the colorful Tailow. "How are you feeling, little guy?"

"Tail, Tail, Tailow!" it squawked. It spread its wings and fluttered around the room. It landed on his shoulder and nudged his chin in affection.

"Don't mention it, buddy," Jethro said. "You should really catch up to your flock, ya know. They're probably getting worried sick!" Tailow hung its head. Jethro scratched it behind its head, then put his finger under its chin and brought its head up. "Now, don't you worry, little one. We will see each other sometime in the future, I promise." The Tailow looked at Jethro with a happier expression. It gave him one last nudge, called to its friends, and they all flew off.

"C'mon, let's go say good-bye!" Eloquence said as she ran outside after them. Jethro shrugged to Nurse Joy.

"Might as well, seeing as how we helped them and everything," he said. They ran out after them, where Torterra was waiting. The Tailow were flying off into the day to meet with the rest of their migrating flock. Jethro's Tailow pulled off a few aerial stunts in farewell. Jethro and the others waved, while Torterra launched an Energy Ball into the air. It exploded in brilliant colors of greens, yellows, and a mixture of violets and whites. They stood watching the Tailow fly away until they disappeared into the afternoon sky.

"You think we'll see them again, Jethro? Soon, maybe?" Eloquence asked. Jethro looked at her, smiled, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Elly, we will see them again," he said. "Most likely the one with the new feather-do," he added. He looked back towards the direction the Tailow disappeared for a moment, and then let out a long breath.

"Well… I guess…" he started to say.

"What? Guess what?" Nurse Joy asked.

Elly rolled her eyes. "You're going to leave now, aren't you?" she asked, though she already knew the answer.

"Well, I'm not really called the Camping Hero, now am I? I mean, someone's gotta tell my parents of my recent achievements, right?" Jethro replied.

Eloquence glared at him. "You couldn't just stay here for the day, just for once? I mean, you just healed a Tailow here. I'm sure Nurse Joy and a few other Trainers could use your own special healing skills!" Eloquence argued. "Besides, you can at least call your parents from here, compared to me, who… can't even…" she trailed off.

That was enough to convince Jethro. "You prove a valid point. I'll stay," he said. "I'll call my parents later on. I'm sure they'll want to talk to you, too, if you want. In the meantime, I'll be handling the heavily hit Pokémon… and possibly handling a pen, as I'm sure to get requests for autographs," he muttered. Eloquence smiled.

"Thanks, Jethro," she said.

"On two conditions; one, I'll only handle fifteen feather transplants and about thirty autographs; two, you let me teach you how to do the transplants," he added. Eloquence smiled.

"Deal," she chuckled.

What they didn't see as they walked back to the Pokémon Center, was the little flying camera drone atop the building, watching their every move and recording everything they said. Its purpose may have been recon, but its affiliation was ultimate destruction…

And total domination.

As they went back in, Jethro went into the kitchen, followed by Nurse Joy. Eloquence stayed out in the lobby to mingle with a group of Trainers

"So, Jethro," Nurse Joy asked, "why can't Eloquence call her parents?" Jethro stood silent for a moment before answering.

"Her family… was taken from her," he said quietly. He leaned against the center counter. Nurse Joy had heard about how Jethro gave speeches. She wasn't about to make any interruptions.

"They were on a picnic. Eloquence had just gotten her Pokémon license; she had just… turned… ten years old. Although she is from the Kanto Region, her first Pokémon was not a Squirtle, nor Bulbasaur, nor a Charmander. Her very first Pokémon was a Riolu, a friend she had made as a child. They were celebrating the event with a very nice picnic.

"That's when they were attacked.

"A pack of Houndoom had attacked them out of nowhere. They were helpless, as her father's Gallade and her mother's Gardevoir were struck down. The Gallade fought fiercely after Gardevoir was taken down. It managed to knock out one Houndoom and severely injure another. It took a Flamethrower, then a Shadow Ball. That was all it could muster. The Flamethrower had started a fire around the family, trapping them.

"Riolu, however, was not out of the game.

"To ensure that its Trainer could escape, it charged the Houndoom, dodging every attack. It countered with several Quick Attacks and Force Palms. It managed to take out three Houndoom… until they rallied." Jethro paused for a moment. "There's something I want to come back to at this point, I'll get to it later on," he said, then continued. "They were ruthless… attacking left, right, behind, and in front. Riolu endured a large amount of damage…

"That's when it began to use Reversal. It kept them at bay for a while, and Eloquence's mother took the chance. Her mother wrapped themselves up in the picnic blanket, dashed through the fire, hid in some nearby bushes and watched, waiting for her Riolu to escape. Her father stayed behind to assist Riolu, throwing a few punches himself.

"Reversal only worked so many times, until neither Riolu nor Elly's father could withstand the brutal attacks any longer. As soon as it saw an opening, it ran. It stumbled to one knee, but got back up and started running again. It was nearly to the bushes… when it was hit by a Shadow Ball. It was sent through the bushes, flying right into Elly. She and her mother didn't waste time; she picked up her Riolu and ran for her life. Her mother had tried to follow, but was knocked back by one of the Houndoom, which sprinted after Elly.

"She had gone quite a ways before the Houndoom tracked her down. She was tackled to the ground." Jethro looked to Eloquence through the glass window. "I cannot imagine the horror, the terror, which she felt as she looked into that Houndoom's eyes. It reeled back to launch a Shadow Ball…

"And that was when it came.

"The Houndoom was hit broadside with a massive Fire Fang from one of the most powerful Fire-Types you'll ever meet.

"Entei.

"The Houndoom was sent rolling, and hardly got back up when Entei sent it flying. Over a tall hill it sailed, and when it finally passed out of sight, Entei turned to Elly. She had fainted from exhaustion, so Entei picked her up and carried her to the nearest town." Jethro paused for another while.

"Now, what I want to get back to is this; Pokémon are never evil-natured, as far as we know. And usually, when more than one Houndoom in a pack is downed, they usually flee… but why did these ones instead rally and attack all at once?"

A few hours went by, and not much actually happened. Jethro had whipped up a meal for everyone, including some of the Trainers that were staying the night. A few Trainers had come by and asked for Nurse Joy's help… within the first three hours. Awhile after a young boy came in with a severely poisoned Monferno, which Jethro healed, people started coming in more frequently. At first, he thought that the young boy had contacted quite the number of people and told him of his whereabouts for autograph opportunities. But things started to add up incorrectly.

At first, it was the amount of Pokémon coming in with the poisoned status and the severity. But then there were severe burns, freezes, paralysis cases, and some severely injured Pokémon who had fainted so badly that even Jethro's Max Revives weren't working as efficiently as they should've been. Jethro had asked a few Trainers on how their Pokémon had gotten their wounds. They had all said similar things:

"Some real strong Trainer got the better of me."

"The guy was uber strong."

"I just need more training, that's all…"

Jethro wasn't going to let this go on for much longer.

A teenager and her Aggron and Metang had been teleported in the building by her Xatu, and it looked as if they had been through a small war. Metang had an intense burn, whereas Aggron's entire back was encased in a thick sheet of ice. Jethro, under normal circumstances, would've taken care of the situation, but he had other plans.

"Eloquence, Nurse Joy, take care of this gal's Pokémon, please," he said. The two Steel-Types were rushed to the back. The Trainer started to follow them, but Jethro put a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her. "We need to talk."

They went behind the main counter and sat down.

"What's your name, may I ask?" Jethro started.

"I'm Sierra," the Trainer replied, "and I am a huge fan of yours!"

"Thank you, I can give you an autograph later on, but right now, I need you to tell me who or what did this, how, and why," Jethro said. "Your Pokémon are clearly very well trained, that I could see by how you brought them in and how strong they looked. How were they beaten so easily?"

Sierra hung her head. "I really don't know. I was walking down the road, when all of a sudden, a Weavile and Dusknoir jumped out in front of us. As odd as it seemed for two Pokémon like that to be teaming up, I thought they were wild and so I wanted to catch them. Suddenly this guy walks out from behind the Weavile saying they were his Pokémon and wanted to battle, so I sent my Aggron and Metang out. He let me have the first move, so Aggron used Flamethrower on Weavile and Metang used Metal Claw on Dusknoir.

"To my surprise, Weavile slashed right through the Flamethrower, and Dusknoir caught the Metal Claw and stopped it cold! Metang was thrown right into Aggron, and the Weavile used Ice Beam. Luckily, my Pokémon dodged it just in time. However, when the Ice Beam hit the ground, it made a creepy hunk of ice. It was sharp all over, and had a dark gray hue to it."

Jethro's right eyebrow went up. He had noticed the same kind of ice on Aggron's back when it was brought in. "Go on," he said.

"Aggron then used Iron Head on the Weavile, and Metang used Shadow Ball. Weavile went flying into a tree, but Dusknoir blocked the Shadow Ball. Weavile jumped back up and launched a Dark Pulse at Aggron, sending it back at Metang. Dusknoir used Will-O-Wisp, and my Aggron dodged it. Metang, however, caught it full-force. The blast from it looked as bad as that burn you saw."

Jethro was now very concerned. Metang's burn covered its entire body, the worst of it completely blackening its entire right side. Even high-level Pokémon that used that move didn't leave that bad of a burn!

Sierra continued. "Seeing that Metang had fainted, Aggron nearly went berserk! It launched Flamethrower at both of them, then rushed at them with Iron Tail. Dusknoir deflected it, then Shadow Punched Aggron right in the face, sending it back again.

"Weavile launched another Ice Beam, but aimed it at Metang. Aggron darted right in front of it, using its back to absorb the attack.

"That was all it could take. The poor thing went down to one knee, gasping for air. The Trainer laughed at me, calling me and my Pokémon weak. He then told Dusknoir and Weavile to use Shadow Ball. Thinking fast, I sent out my Xatu, and we Teleported here."

The two sat silently for a moment, Jethro in deep thought.

"This Trainer… what did he look like?" he asked.

Sierra thought for a moment. "He was wearing some kind of weird metal mask that covered his mouth. His eyes were behind some kind of visor thing, and he had some armor covering his arms and legs… he had on a black hat, a black cloak, and grey pants and a shirt. There was this 'S' on the shirt; looked like this:" she drew the shape with her finger in the dust on the counter. Jethro looked at it, remembering it for later.

"Did you see what kind of Poké Ball he used?"

"They were a dark grey and black, and looked really weird. They had some wavy grooves on it that spiraled around them… I've never seen them before," Sierra said. Jethro pondered at her description.

"I wonder…" he muttered. An idea came to him. "Does your Xatu know the move Mind Reader, by chance?" Sierra thought about it.

"As a matter of fact, it does," she said.

"Bring it out, if you would please, I want to try something."

"Sure." Sierra brought out a Premier Ball, a white Poké Ball with a red line as the seal. Xatu was released from within.

"Xatu, if you would please, use Mind Reader to show me what Sierra saw. I hope I'm wrong, but I want to confirm what Sierra described," Jethro said. Xatu looked at its Trainer with a questioning look. Sierra nodded, and Xatu touched its wings to both their heads.

It used Mind Reader, and Jethro began to see what Sierra saw.

The Weavile and Dusknoir appearing… the mysterious Trainer, just as described… Aggron's Flamethrower being sliced in half… Metang being thrown into its partner… the eerie hunk of ice… Aggron going half berserk… Aggron absorbing the Ice Beam… the dual Shadow Ball attack… Xatu using Teleport…

The Trainer's Poké Ball… but it couldn't be!

The Mind Read came to an end. Jethro sat back, panting, the look of fear unmistakable.

"Mr. Striker? Are you alright? What's wrong?" Sierra asked.

"The Poké Balls he used… when I saw it, my heart stopped for a moment." Though he managed to calm down, his mind was racing at what seemed Mach 2. "Those were no ordinary Poké Balls… nor were they any type of Poké Ball that should ever be used," he said. He looked Sierra right in the eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That Trainer…" Jethro said in a low voice. Eloquence came back into lobby.

"Good news! Your Pokémon are fully… healed…" she said, and stopped when she saw Jethro's face. "You look like you've seen a ghost, Jethro, what's wrong?"

"You know all these Trainers that've been coming in with severe cases? They've all met the same Trainer on the road…" he said.

"And?" Eloquence asked. Jethro looked at her with fear and seriousness in his eyes.

"He catches Pokémon…

with Dark Balls."


	3. Chapter 3: The Dark Trainer

The masked Trainer stood atop the hill facing the Pokémon Center where Jethro was. The sun was setting, which meant he could slip by in the night undetected. Good news for himself… not so much for Jethro and his friends. The camera drone flew up to him, resting on his shoulder. It turned to look at him, focusing on his visor. He looked back.

"Soon," he said, "very soon."

*xXx*

Jethro, Eloquence, Nurse Joy, and all the other Trainers including Sierra had gathered at the counter. Jethro had told everyone a short version of Sierra's encounter. He was now discussing battle and travel plans.

"Those of you who wish to stay and fight may do so, but keep a sharp eye out. This Trainer most likely knows I am here, and will probably come after me, slipping through the shadows like some kind of evil ninja," he was saying.

_"Hey!"_ a voice shouted. Jethro looked back to see a Trainer a little younger than himself wearing a ninja outfit and a Ninjask floating next to him.

"I meant no offense towards you or your kind, sir. I'm not saying that all, or any of your kind, for that matter, are evil… I'm just saying that this guy in particular seems to be one," Jethro explained.

The young ninja nodded, allowing Jethro to proceed. "As I was saying, be on your guards, 'cause this guy will be very sneaky and very hard to spot. Those of you who wish not to stay, Sierra and her Xatu will Teleport you to wherever you need to go. My mother should be here shortly with her Chansey and my Alakazam to help in the Teleportation and healing to whoever needs it. Please do not engage in conversation with her, or it may go on forever," he joked. A few people chuckled.

"Alrighty then, let's get to it!" Jethro announced. "Defense squadrons, take your positions! First wave, follow Eloquence outside. Second wave, you're in here with me. The rest of you, get behind the counter with Sierra and Nurse Joy. My mom should be here shortly, so be patient," he commanded.

Eloquence and the first wave of defense Trainers ran outside. The second wave was scattered throughout the building; five in the hallway, five behind the counter, and ten in the lobby, including Jethro. Sierra began to Teleport the Trainers out.

"Where do you want to go?" she asked the first one in line, a burly teen with a determined attitude.

"Mossdeep City in the Hoenn Region," he said. "I got some friends who might be able to help."

"Mossdeep it is," Sierra said. "Ready, Xatu?"

_"Xatuuuu,"_ the bird hummed, and they disappeared in a flash of light. Another flash of light emitted from in front of the counter, and Jethro's mom and his Gardevoir appeared.

"Hey, kiddo, how ya doin?" she said. She went over and embraced her taller child.

"Hey, Mom, I'm fine!" he replied, hugging her back. He looked up to see his teleporting friend.

"Hey, Gardevoir, how've you been?" Gardevoir put a hand to its chest and gestured with a small bow. Jethro looked around.

"Where's Chansey?" he asked.

"In the Poké Ball," his mother replied. "I don't see why it should be out unless there's an emergency, right?"

"Good point… I guess," Jethro replied. "There's a line of people here, ready to be teleported away to a safer place. If there's any trouble, call me."

His mother chuckled. "You sound like me on that day you started your journey!" she said. "C'mon, Gardevoir, let's get these people out of here," she said. Gardevoir nodded silently and raised its hands, which began to glow a bright blue, along with its eyes. The same bright light began to appear around all the people in line, encasing them all, and then in a flash, they were all gone. Jethro stood there in admiration.

"Showoff," he heard Blaziken mutter. Gardevoir giggled lightly. It had been reading everybody's minds, allowing it to determine where they all wanted to go. Thanks to special training from Jethro, it had managed to Teleport everyone all at once.

Another flash of light, and the Trainers from Mossdeep City appeared, accompanied by some fierce-looking Pokémon. Sierra was in front, her Xatu standing quaintly beside her.

"Mr. Striker, may I present to you," the burly teen announced, his arms spread wide, "the Mossdeep Squad."

"Very impressive, I must say," Jethro said, surprised. Amongst the teens were very powerful Pokémon, such as a Magmortar, Magnezone, Nidoking and Nidoqueen, a Luxray, a Tropius, a Breloom, and a Flygon. The leader, the one who went with Sierra first, had with him a feisty Raichu, as well as a determined-looking Swampert.

"You certainly have quite the team behind you—um—sorry, I didn't catch your name…" Jethro said.

"I'm Marvin," the burly teen said.

"Marvin… well, Marvin, you certainly have quite the team behind you. Now that we have your friends here, holding that guy off should be…" All of a sudden, the power went out, leaving the room nearly pitch black.

"… a cinch," Jethro finished. The emergency lights kicked in, allowing a little vision. Blaziken's wrists ignited, the flames improving vision even further. "Thanks, buddy, that'll definitely help. Elly? What's it like out there?" Jethro said through his Poké Nav.

"Oh, just fine, now that the power went out. Luckily, one of the troopers has a Typhlosion to keep us some light," she responded. Jethro relaxed for a moment. Then something came to him.

"If the Trainer with the Typhlosion can hear me, tell it to let out a Fire-Type move!" he said loudly. A few seconds later, there was a bright orange glow outside. The surrounding area received such light that it almost looked like daytime. A few seconds before the move subsided, Jethro caught sight of something. It nearly scared him to death.

There was the dark Trainer, standing on the other side of the road, as still as could be…

And looking directly at Jethro.

_"He's here!"_ he shouted. Immediately, attacks went flying in all directions. A few came close to hitting the Trainer, but none landed their marks. The Trainer sent out his Dusknoir and Weavile, and then sent them off to attack the Trainers on the roof.

"Gardevoir, get my mother out of here, now!" Jethro shouted. Gardevoir grabbed its Trainer's mother and Teleported away in the blink of an eye, and not a moment too soon, for a Trainer and its Ampharos had been pummeled through the ceiling right where she was standing. The Weavile leapt down from the hole it created, landing a few short feet from Jethro. It looked up at him, giving him shivers. Pure evil could be seen from inside, and even Jethro was intimidated. It bolted towards him, but his Blaziken was faster. It delivered a fierce Fire Punch into its midsection, sending it flying into the wall. Marvin's Swampert grabbed it and flung it to his Raichu, which slammed it back with an Iron Tail. Swampert sent the Weavile back through the ceiling with a ferocious uppercut of its thick arm. It sailed through the ceiling and the roof, shooting up right between Eloquence and the dark Trainer, who were engaged in hand-to-hand combat. They both looked down, only to see a pair of glowing orange eyes glaring back. The Swampert fired an Ice Beam, sealing the hole tight. The Trainer looked back up to see Eloquence's fist smash into his visor. He stumbled backwards, and Eloquence continued to advance.

"What's going on up there? Someone answer me!" Jethro shouted into his Poke Nav.

"This Dusknoir's tougher than we thought, Mr. Striker!" someone replied "It doesn't seem to be taking any damage whatsoever—augh!"

"Unfortunately, that's what a Dark Ball does. While it turns a Pokémon to its most sinister form, it also amps it up to the highest level," Jethro informed the other Trainers in the room. All of a sudden, something crashed through the ceiling. As the debris and dust cleared, it became visible as to what it was.

"Oh, you've _got_ to be _kidding me_!" Jethro heard Blaziken mutter.

It was a Slowbro.

"Really? _That's_ what's going to be our next challenge? _Ha!"_ one of the Trainers from Mossdeep chortled. Slowbro stood up, and the laughing stopped abruptly. This Slowbro was not a regular, dimwitted Pokémon.

It was the dark Trainer's Slowbro.

"Well, this should be fun," another Mossdeep Trainer muttered. The Slowbro raised its hands, and its cruel eyes started to glow a deep blue. The Psychic attack threw everyone against the walls, pinning them. Blaziken tried to advance, but the attack was too strong for it to move.

"Breloom, Energy Ball!" a Squad member shouted. Her Breloom launched a glowing green orb at the Slowbro, hitting it head-on. The attack didn't affect the Slowbro much, but it was just enough for Jethro to reach for another Ultra Ball.

"Tyranitar! We need your assistance!" he bellowed. The Armor Pokémon appeared in front of Slowbro, glaring at it menacingly. The Slowbro looked up, more surprised than fearful at the site of the tan-colored brute strength of Jethro's party.

"Use Dark Pulse!" Jethro commanded. A mass of dark energy erupted from Tyranitar's mouth, blasting the Slowbro through the door. It slowly got up, only to be slammed into a tree by the walking tank's tail. It fell to the ground, unable to continue.

"God job, big guy!" Jethro shouted from the door. Tyranitar roared in victory, shaking the ground… as well as the dark Trainer off of the roof. He landed in a bush near the entrance, coughing and groaning. He looked over to Jethro and scrambled to his feet. His Dusknoir fell beside him in defeat, along with his Weavile. Returning all three of his Pokémon, the Trainer started to flee.

"Hey, you! I'm not done with you yet!" Eloquence shouted. With her sword in hand, she leapt down. The Trainer growled and turned to leave. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with Elly's Lucario. The Trainer smirked.

"What, you're gonna use Aura Sphere on me, send me flying, little Lucario?" he taunted. Lucario didn't move a muscle. It didn't even look like it was breathing. "So you're just going to stand there, not moving," the Trainer said, "while I… walk… around you… and make my escape?" The Trainer was behind Lucario by the time he finished asking. Nobody moved. They were all wondering what was going to happen. The Trainer chuckled.

"I didn't think so—_oof!"_ He fell to the ground, dazed. He looked up. "Okay, _you_ I may have a bit more trouble with," he said, more scared than cocky.

He had bumped into a menacing-looking Nidoking. Jethro's shiny Tyranitar was standing on its right, while Blaziken was on the left. The Trainer looked around, and noticed that he was surrounded by the Pokémon from the Mossdeep Squad. The Magmortar was aiming its arm at him, intense heat pouring out of it. The Magnezone's magnets were spinning rapidly, the electric current making his air stand on end. The Flygon was glaring menacingly at the Trainer, as well as the Tropius and Breloom. The Luxray was growling deeply, some static electricity pulsing through its fur. The dark Trainer turned all the way around, finding himself facing Eloquence's Lucario once again. It was looking right back.

"This is probably gonna hurt… isn't it?" the Trainer asked. Lucario smiled.

"Not for too long," Jethro said. The Trainer turned back around to see him standing in front of the Nidoking. "At least, not at first. When you wake up, however…" he said, leaning forward to put a hand on the dark Trainer's shoulder.

"You're gonna feel like you have about fifteen knives in your skull." He patted him on the shoulder and stood back up. The Trainer looked back once again to look at Lucario. The only thing he ever saw before complete darkness was Lucario's foot flying at him, and stars floating overhead the next millisecond.

Lights began to come through… come through? Come through what, exactly, the Trainer wondered. The next thing to come after the lights was a headache the size of Mount Coronet, followed by a head splitting sound; the sound of light. That's what's possible when your head isn't quite ready to wake up, as it turned out. He was actually lying down in a dark room, no doubt inside the Pokémon Center. He put a hand to his head… which, admittedly, did feel like there were about fifteen knives sticking out of. The Trainer looked around the room again. He couldn't see a thing. He tried to get up, but staggered and fell back to the ground. His head was spinning from the intense pain. He was beginning to feel his hands again, which was good. He put a hand to his mask…

His mask! It wasn't there!

"Where is it? Where's my mask?" he asked aloud. He got to his hands and knees and started fumbling in the low light for it.

"Looking for this?" a voice asked. A bright, white light poured onto the villain. Clenching his eyes shut, he slowly turned to the voice. He opened his eyes, letting them adjust to the intense light. There was Jethro, sitting in a chair next to a lamp with his legs crossed…

And holding the mask.

"Give me that back!" the Trainer growled.

"You want it? Come and get it, Mr. Mask," Jethro responded. The Trainer bolted, reaching for his mask. Before he could even touch it, Jethro retracted his right leg and lashed out, sending the mask-wearer into the opposite wall with enough force to leave a small crack. "Why's it so important to you? What do you really need it for?" Jethro asked as he deflected several punches. "Is it really just to protect your identity? Just to make you look cool?" He caught a failed roundhouse kick and threw his opponent into the wall again.

"Or is it a way to stay in contact with the Sinister Division?" This question struck home. The Trainer looked up in shock.

"How- how did you-?" he stammered.

"Please, you think I wouldn't recognize the name and symbol," Jethro said as he indicated the fancy 'S' insignia on the inside of the mask, "of the people who attacked my hometown?" The Trainer slowly stood up. "And another thing, Zephyr!" Jethro said in a calm yet furious tone. Zephyr froze. How did he figure out his name?

"The next time you see anyone from Sinister Division, be it a grunt, official, or Sinestra herself, you tell them this: the next time I see them, I'm bringing the wrath of the Hoenn Region with me." He leaned in close to Zephyr's face.

"Do I make myself clear?" he asked in a tone that made chills go down Zephyr's back.

"Yes, sir!" he whimpered.

"Good," Jethro growled softly. He straightened up, walked over, and opened the door. "He's all yours, Officers," he said. Officer Jenny walked in, along with two other police officers. They were all wearing heavy duty suits, and none of them looked too pleased to meet Zephyr.

"You're coming with us to Sunyshore City to spend some time behind solid steel, bub," Jenny said.

"Sure, sure, just let me recollect my… mask?" Zephyr requested. Once again, it wasn't there. "Okay, where's my mask now?" he asked. Jethro popped his head around the doorway.

"Officer, could you bring the culprit outside, please? We want to show you all something!" he said.

One thing that Jethro was an expert at coaching, other than battle techniques, was target practice. And the one thing he loved to use for a target more than anything was something that belonged to a villain he truly loathed with a passion.

Today's target was Zephyr's mask. The shooters were Elly's Lucario and Jethro's Torterra.

"Are we all ready for this?" Jethro asked the crowd. The entire crowd cheered their approval. "I think they're ready, Elly!" he said to his firing partner.

"I don't know, Jethro, I can't hear them!" she urged the crowd, which cheered even louder.

"Feels like we're some kind of sports announcers or something!" Jethro said loudly so she could hear. He raised a hand for silence, which came almost instantaneously. "Thank you. Now, these two need total concentration, so please be silent until we are certain that the target's been obliterated," Jethro told them. The silence that followed was so intense Jethro had to test his ears to make sure he hadn't just gone deaf. "Ready, Elly?" he asked.

"Ready," she replied.

"You two ready?" Jethro asked the Pokémon. Lucario and Torterra nodded. Jethro turned to Officer Jenny. "You ready for this?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

"Alright," Jethro turned back to the mask. "On my mark. Three… two… one… fire!"

"Aura Sphere, Lucario!" Elly shouted. Torterra fired an Energy Ball in complete synchronization with Lucario, creating a blue-and-green orb of energy. It hit the mask full-force, blowing the rock it was propped up against to oblivion. The crowd roared, pumping their fists in the air and whistling loudly. Jethro turned towards them and bowed as if he was part of an opera. Elly high-fived her Lucario and thrust her hands in the air. Jethro began to feel like he was being cheered on after beating Cynthia again.

But the praise was short-lived.

Jethro felt something picking his brain. It was his telepathic connection to Torterra. Something was _very_ wrong. He turned around to see what it could be.

His heart almost stopped.

Torterra was looking right at him…

Through Zephyr's mask.

It had reshaped itself to fit Torterra's face completely, and had some sort of mind-control grip on it. Jethro could see its eyes glowing red from behind the visor. He knew all too well what was coming next.

_"Take cover; incoming Frenzy Plant!"_ he bellowed to the crowd. The cheering stopped abruptly, followed by confused looks. The confused looks turned into horror and panic as people and their Pokémon scattered out of the way of several giant roots erupting from the ground. Jethro leapt out of the way, rolling on the ground and springing back up in a fighting stance. He picked an Ultra Ball off of his backpack strap and threw it in the air.

"Metagross, I need your assistance!" he called. The gold-and-silver Iron Leg Pokémon landed in between Jethro and Torterra, its characteristic glare fixed on its partner.

"I do not want to hurt you, my friend," it said, "but if you do not cease this behavior, I will be forced to take you out." Being that it couldn't move after using Frenzy Plant, Torterra merely growled at its fellow teammate. "Very well," Metagross said. "The hard way it is, then." It used Psychic on the mask to try and pull it off, but to no avail. Torterra was even lifted off the ground at one point!

"Use those brains of yours, Metagross; figure a way to get that thing off," Jethro said.

"I'm doing my best, sir, but nothing I do can make a difference. I would prefer not to use Ice Punch on our friend," Metagross replied. It set Torterra back down.

"Wait, wait, _wait!"_ Jethro shouted.

It was too late.

As soon as the Continent Pokémon touched the ground, it unleashed a powerful Earthquake attack, knocking everybody off their feet. Metagross took significant damage, and was knocked back to Jethro, its legs sprawled out.

"However, I can make an exception to a low blow like that," it said.

"Sounds good to me," Jethro agreed. They both got up and faced Torterra once again. "Buddy," Jethro called to it, "if you can hear me in there, you better brace yourself!" There was a slight pause, followed by and shaky slow nod from Torterra. Jethro nodded back. "Alright, Metagross; aim carefully."

"You're probably gonna come out of this with a massive headache, my friend, but believe me, it'll be better than that thing," Metagross told its younger partner. It bolted towards it using its psychic powers to levitate, and then drew its front right leg up. Ice formed around it, leaving a vapor-like trail as the Ice Punch landed forcefully on-target. The mask went flying off, a black-and-maroon aura trailing it. Torterra shook its head, dazed.

"You sure don't pull your punches much, do you?" it slurred.

"Well, I didn't want to risk it staying on there," Metagross stated. "How do you feel?"

"As a whole, I feel much better. My head, on the other hand, is another story," Torterra replied, shaking its head. It looked at the mask that had moments ago been controlling it. "If you don't mind, I'd like to personally get rid of this thing," it growled. It walked over to the still mask and raised a thick foreleg.

"If you can see this, Sinister Division, you may want to pay attention," it said. It brought its leg straight down.

It hit solid earth.

The mask had flown up again, hovering right in front of Torterra.

"Boss!" it shouted. Jethro unsheathed his scimitar sword, the blade glowing a bright blue, and returned Torterra to its Poké Ball. The mask floated past him and Metagross.

It was aiming straight for Elly.

Lucario stepped between the levitating mask and its target and unleashed two Aura Spheres. The mask avoided both of them and slammed into Lucario, knocking it aside. Elly was paralyzed by fear. She could see it adjusting itself to fit its new host's face. The visor was glowing a crimson red, the dark aura growing stronger. Elly closed her eyes. She didn't want to see herself turned into a monster.

She prepared for the worst.

It never came.

Just as it came within an arm's reach, Jethro sliced it two. The pieces whizzed past her, landing just in front of the wide-eyed crowd. They sparked and then lay silent. Jethro went over to the two pieces, ensuring they weren't going to try anything sneaky. He crushed one with his foot and stabbed the other one, just to be safe. He turned to Elly. She wasn't moving an inch. She hardly even looked like she was breathing!

"Elly? You okay?" Jethro asked. No response. "Eloquence?" Nothing. Her Lucario stepped in front of her and growled softly. Hardly even a twitch. Lucario looked at Jethro and shrugged. Jethro put a hand to his scruffy chin. Then his eyebrows rose and his shoulders sagged.

"Okay, seriously, Elly, that's not even remotely funny," he said. She turned towards him, a wide smile on her face.

"You're getting better at that," she said. Jethro rolled his eyes as the crowd heaved a sigh of relief.

"Alright, folks, I think we've had enough of an adventure here tonight. I recommend that you return to your homes or get to your next destination on your journey as quickly as possible, to stay safe," he told them. "The next few days, if not weeks, may get rather unpleasant. For those of you who live close by, I suggest you get home now. For those of you who live farther away, it's best you wait here until sunrise." He turned to the Mossdeep Squad. "Have you notified your superiors of your presence here?" he asked the leader. Marvin chuckled.

"Yes, we told our parents and/or girlfriends that we would be fighting elsewhere, sir," he said. The crowd burst out laughing.

"Good," Jethro said, smiling widely. "Please tell me you left someone behind in Mossdeep to keep guard of the place," he added.

"Oh, we left the big folks at home," Marvin said. "By 'big folks', I mean the adults of our organization."

"The adults?"

"Yeah. My dad's the adult's leader; I lead the teens."

"I see…" Jethro turned to the rest of the crowd. "As for you other long-distance folks, it's best we get inside, now. For those of you who live nearby… why are you still here? Get going!" he told them. Several Trainers immediately returned their Pokémon and left in groups. As the other Trainers went inside the Pokémon Center, Jethro turned back to Elly.

"Metagross, Burner, nice work. Return," he said, and his two Pokémon returned to their designated Poké Balls. He looked to Eloquence. She was standing in front of what remained of the mask, staring at it. Lucario was standing next to her, looking from her to the mask and back. Jethro walked over.

"You okay, Elly?" he asked. She didn't respond. This time he knew she wasn't pretending. He knelt down to Lucario and rubbed its head and scratched it behind the ears. "She's hard to get through to sometimes, isn't she?"

Lucario sighed.

"You have no idea, Jethro," it said to him. Jethro chuckled and stood back up. He looked at the mask pieces.

"When you're ready, Elly, come on inside," he said. He started to walk away, but she grabbed his arm.

"Can you stay out here with me a little longer?" she asked quietly. Jethro went over and put his arm around her shoulder. He could feel her shaking slightly. He looked at the mask with her. "When that thing came at me… it was so horrifying. It was shaping itself to match my face… to take me over… and that wasn't the worst part," she said a little shakily. Jethro looked her in the eyes.

He had never seen her so scared in his life. Perhaps this is what she looked like when she was attacked as a child…

"The worst part… was the look it gave me. It looked at me! Like it was meant for me or something… oh, Jethro, it was so scary…" she trailed off. Jethro turned her towards him and hugged her softly. Her shoulders shook violently, and she put her arms on his back as she did what Jethro thought he'd never see her do.

She cried.

Jethro held her close in an embrace that ensured her that he would never leave her or let anything happen to her. He stood there, swaying slightly as he felt her first tear hit his shoulder. He looked down into her eyes.

"We would've done everything in our power to get it off. We wouldn't rest until you were free from its grip. Trust me when I say that as long as we're around," he said as he wiped a tear. "You can be sure you're staying with us." Elly's face brightened. Barely, but enough. She chuckled a little.

"You have no idea how corny that sounded," she managed to laugh. Jethro grinned.

"Well, I may not be the best at delivering words like that in the most correct manner, but you know it's true," he said. She laughed a little more, and Jethro hugged her a little closer.

"Yeah… you sure know how to make a girl feel special," she said.

"How else do you think I got a girlfriend?" he pointed out.

Elly chuckled, "Yeah, the daughter of the Gym Leader Flannery… how did you even manage that one?" she asked with bewilderment. Jethro smiled and shrugged, and the three of them walked back in the Pokémon Center.


	4. Chapter 4: A Small Family Reunion

Every single word… every single movement…

Was filmed and documented.

The little camera drone had still been lingering about, catching all of Jethro's movements with the most sinister of purposes.

It caught the whole conversation.

Back at their main base, the Sinister Division technician operating the camera relayed the video feed into the main control room. A woman dressed in dark red and black sat with her legs crossed and her fingertips pressing against each other. She smiled coldly.

"So we know his weak points… good. How soon can we commence our operation?" she asked.

"We are almost prepared, ma'am. The last touch-ups are being made as we speak," the technician said over the intercom.

"Good," she said. "Very good."

All of a sudden, something obstructed the camera lens. The woman sat forward in her seat.

"What's happening?" she demanded.

"I don't know," the technician said. "Something's got the camera!" There was a sharp movement, and then the screen went blank.

"We've lost the signal," another technician said.

"How?" demanded the woman.

"Someone… or something… has found the camera and destroyed it." The woman sat back in the chair again and put two fingers to her head.

"This complicates things… but not too terribly," she said to herself. "We continue as planned."

"Yes, ma'am," replied the technician. The woman sat back in her chair and smirked at the screen.

"Soon, Jethro," she said to herself. "Soon…"

Jethro held the damaged camera device in his hands, his brow furrowed in anger and disgust. The crimson 'S' on the top was now dark, the lens cracked. He wanted so badly to crush the camera, but first, he wanted answers.

"Where did you find this?" he almost growled. His Staraptor, the one who demolished the camera, pointed to the tree just outside the Center. Jethro growled to himself, and then turned to Eloquence. "It caught every single thing today… where we were… our midnight debacle… the little convo… everything. All to study _me._ How'd I miss it?"

"It's only big enough to fit in your hands, Jethro. It's not that easy to catch!" Elly protested.

"Given the fact that I have rather sizeable hands, that's not helping," Jethro muttered. He turned back to his Staraptor. "When exactly did you see this?" he asked.

"At the same time I arrived; I heard you were in the area, so I decided to stop by and say hello to my old friend," it told him. Jethro looked back to the camera in his hands.

"And that's when you spotted this," he said.

"Well, I am a renowned aerial hunter, so it wasn't very hard," Staraptor said proudly, puffing out its chest. It looked at the camera. "What do you plan on doing with it, boss?" it asked. Jethro stood looking at the camera for a moment, and then smiled slyly.

"Somehow, I get the feeling I'm going to like this look," Eloquence said.

"Oh, it gets better," Jethro replied. "It gets much, much better."

At the same table he healed the Tailow, Jethro set up shop with the camera. He pulled out his multi-tool, one of his own creations, and set his backpack aside. He whipped out a scanning device and scanned for schematics. A holographic projector showed a remodeled way to reconstruct the device. Jethro smiled to himself.

"Let's get to work," he said.

About an hour later, Jethro walked out from the room, his hands behind his back. Elly, Nurse Joy, Lucario, Staraptor, and Blaziken were standing in the lobby waiting for him.

"Ladies and Pokémon, I give you the new and reprogrammed Sinister Spy-Cam,"  
Jethro said, holding out the more angular and durable-looking device in the palm of his hand. It whirred to life and lifted off, flying right out the doors. The group went outside to watch it disappear over the hill.

"Very nice, boss," Blaziken told Jethro.

"Thank you," he said, beaming.

"And what happens when they get it back?" Elly asked. "Or did you just give them a free upgrade?"

"Don't worry, it's only meant to broadcast the signal of their base. As soon as it gets there, _pfft!" _Jethro said as he imitated an explosion with his hands. "It goes up."

"Subtle, Jethro, very subtle," Staraptor told him.

"How big is the explosion?" Elly asked.

"Not too big… just big enough to wipe out a control room," Jethro said calmly.

Elly's eyes widened. "And everyone inside it?"

"No, no, no, no, it's more of an EMP explosion; it only knocks out their computers." Suddenly, the bushes in front of them rustled slightly. Jethro reached for his sword, and Elly grasped hers. Another Lucario jumped out of it, and looked Jethro dead in the eye. He let go of his sword and his shoulders sagged.

"Doesn't anyone know how to approach me in a decent manner these days?" he asked aloud. "Alright, Valin, you can come out now."

A Trainer a little older and taller than Jethro rose from the bushes and stepped forward. His eyes were sharp and battle-worn, and a bit tired as well. His dark hair was neatly combed to one side. His mouth was stretched into a sly grin, showing his admiration for Jethro's deduction. He had a slender and yet very toned body, hinting further of his skill in the shadows, as well as stealthiness.

"Hello, Jethro," he said, walking forward to give his younger cousin a hug. "How've you been?"  
"Well, it could be better; I've been helping beat-up Pokémon get better all day, Elly almost got possessed by a mask, and the creep that was wearing it almost took out the Center," Jethro informed him.

"One guy? It was one guy that nearly took out a Pokémon Center with you and Eloquence defending it?" Valin asked, bewildered.

"Val… this guy used Dark Balls," Jethro said as he dropped his voice. Valin's eyes got wide for a moment, and then became stern and cold.

"Those things were supposed to have been banned."

"Yes, but banned doesn't necessarily mean 'destroyed'." Jethro raised a hand to stop his cousin's protest. "Yes, I know there was a law that said to destroy all Dark Balls and wherever they were being created, but I doubt that the task forces dealing with those facilities were able to destroy every last one of either. There was most likely a few people who hid them and their blueprints away. Team Sinister is probably the main group behind it, dealing with Team Rocket's Iron Masked Marauder on the sly."

At the mention of the word 'Sinister', Valin's Lucario growled deeply.

"I know, right?" Jethro agreed. "As if what they did in Hoenn Region wasn't bad enough, now they have to strike out against the world!"

"It might not be the world that they're after, you know," Valin stated.

"Well, yeah, I kinda figured that when Staraptor here found that camera," Jethro said.

"You did defeat them in the Hoenn Region, and I'm pretty sure they don't find that flattering."

"Well, it's their own fault for trying to usurp Mount Chimney… again," Jethro said flatly, remembering what Teams Magma and Aqua did to it years ago. "That, and they terrorized the Lavaridge citizens! They should've known that nobody messes with my hometown—and I mean _nobody_," he added.

"Whatever you say, tough guy," Elly smirked. "Meanwhile, while we're waiting for that little camera of yours to respond, don't you think we should get some rest?"

"Fair point," Jethro said. "Anybody wanna play cards before we hit the hay?"

"What game?" Valin asked as they turned to the Pokémon Center.

"Whaddya say to a good game of Murder?" Jethro suggested.

"Oh, sure, nothing like a game with a name that could be our fate to brighten the mood, Wanderer, real smooth," Elly retorted.

"Despite the tongue-twister, I get the point," Jethro said. Elly punched him in the arm. "Ow."

By the light of the lantern, the small trio of heroes and their Pokémon sat on the floor of their room, putting card after card down on the pile. Valin was currently wining, with only four cards in his hands. Eloquence wasn't having much luck; the constant 4s and 2s weren't being very friendly, increasing the number of cards in her hands each time. Her Lucario was doing fairly well, holding only about 10 or so cards. Valin's Lucario was holding merely three cards, while Jethro and his Blaziken both held five.

"So, Val, what have you been doing these past few days?" Jethro asked him.

"Oh, I've just been traveling hither and yon. I just got back from Unova, actually. I was in Kalos the week before that…" Valin said.

"Ah, Unova," Jethro said. "Good memories. How was Iris?"

"Oh, we had a ball. She actually took me to the Village of Dragons, her hometown!" Val pointed out.

"Really?" Elly asked, surprised. "The Champion of Unova took you to her hometown? How nice!"

"Yeah, she was rather impressed with my Garchomp and asked if I wanted to show some of the younger ones what it was like to battle with one," Val said.

"Right, you were showing the little ones fighting techniques," Jethro said mischievously. "What else did you two do?"

"Oh, cut that out," Val muttered as he put a 7 of spades down. Jethro let out a goofy laugh as Val's Lucario set down a 7 of hearts.

"Well, now wait a second," Jethro said through chuckling, "you were where before Unova? Kalos, you said?"

"That's right."

"I haven't been there yet… I guess that's where I'll be going next after Sinnoh!"

"Hey, don't forget, we need to deal with the Sinister Division first while they're here," Elly pointed out as she laid down two 3s, three aces, and a 6 of clubs. Jethro looked at the pile of cards.

"Hey, nice one. And don't worry, Elly. We'll deal with whatever forces they have left here. Dark Balls or not, they're no match for us," Jethro assured as his Blaziken laid down an 8 of clubs and called the next suit; "Spades". Jethro looked at his hand and groaned. "Really?! The one suit I don't have, and you have to call it!"

"I know," Blaziken smiled with a grin. Jethro hung his head.

"That thing about Pokémon adapting their Trainer's personality really has bad karma when you're rather ornery," he muttered as his first Pokémon laughed.

"Well, if you fight the enemy as badly as you play cards, we're in real trouble," Valin said as he laid down an ace and a three before claiming "last card" and then laying down a jack of clubs. Elly and Jethro groaned and dropped their cards.

"Again?! That's three times in a row you've won!" Elly whined.

"Let's call it a night before he owns us even worse," Jethro said as he got up and climbed into the bottom bunk of the boys' beds. Blaziken lay back on the floor and reached for its Poké Ball on Jethro's backpack. It pressed the little white button on the front, enlarging it with a small chirping sound. It pressed it a second time, returning to the inside of the red-and-white capsule.

"It does know it's allowed to sleep out here, right?" Elly asked.

"Elly, we've gone over this before. It knows that very well; it just chooses to go in the Ball more often," Jethro said. "It's not really my choice with him; he just does it on his own."

"Good to know you have a nice flaw in your Trainer leadership skills," Elly's Lucario said.

"Oh, go to sleep before I let Burner back out," Jethro muttered. Lucario laughed as it curled up on Elly's top bunk.

"Good night, folks," Jethro yawned.

"Good night, Jethro," Elly said.

"Good night, Jethro," Val said.

"Good night, Val," Elly added.

"Good night, Elly," Val replied.

Val's Lucario growled softly.

"Good night, Lucario," Elly replied. "Good night, my Lucario," she added.

Her Lucario growled softly back. It then did the same to Val's Lucario, which replied in turn.

"Good grief, what have I started?" Jethro grumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. The others laughed as they finally settled down for the night.

_Beep-beep, chirp! Beep-beep, chirp!_

"Oh, you gotta be _kidding me!_" Jethro grumbled.

It was merely 3 o' clock in the morning. Jethro reached for his Poketch, pressing the alarm button. The alarm continued its ambient noise. Jethro pushed himself up on the bed.

"Well now, wait a sec," he said. He got out of bed and went to his backpack. He opened the left side pocket and brought out his Poké Nav. Mr. Stone, the head of Devon Corporations, edited the Poké Nav himself specifically for Jethro's needs. He pressed a button, and the screen swiveled upwards to display a small screen.

"Guys! Wake up! We got a signal from the camera!" Jethro shouted excitedly.

"What, what, what?!" Elly yelped as she jolted awake. Val leapt from his bunk onto the floor, followed by his Lucario. Elly's Lucario sat straight up in its bunk, looking around with alerted senses.

"We've got the location of their base!" Jethro said excitedly. "We know where it is!"

"Really? And where would that be?" Elly asked sleepily. Jethro turned around to show them the screen.

"Looks like we're going to Kalos sooner than expected," Jethro said with a broad smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5: Special Delivery!

Sunyshore City.

The major port city of Sinnoh, complete with solar panels for power and transportation, and a gigantic light house to illuminate the surrounding region.

The Gym Leader, Volkner, is a powerful Electric-Type Trainer, whom Jethro defeated shortly before challenging the Elite Four. During the time Jethro spent in the city, he and Volkner became good friends. Jethro even got a tour of the lighthouse, and volunteered to make a few simple yet valuable improvements. In return, Volkner told him if there was anything he ever needed, he could call at anytime.

When Volkner answered his phone, the first words he heard were:

"I need your help."

*xXx*

The warehouse was old, a bit musty, and crawling with Rattata.

The perfect place for a branch hideout.

Two men sat across from each other, playing a card game of War. This was one of the few ways they kept themselves entertained. Nobody came around this place, except for the occasional shipment of the special items. Today's shipment was scheduled to come in about 2:00 in the afternoon.

One of the men checked his watch. 2:25, it read. The shipment was overdue.

"Shouldn't we be concerned about them being late?" the younger one asked. The older one looked away from his watch and back to his hand of cards.

"Nah," he said passively, "the ship probably got delayed; rough waters or something. It's not the first time. Just be patient, it'll be here." His Seviper was settled not too far away from him, laid out on the ground. Though its eyes were closed, it was completely alert. The younger Trainer's Hitmonchan learned that the hard way when it tried to sneak up on it once. Nowadays it kept to its own corner, keeping itself in shape.

As the older Trainer slid a card out of his pile, there was a small knock on the door; three fast, two slow, three fast. The Trainers looked at each other from across the table, the older one grinning.

"See? What'd I tell you?" he smirked. They got up from their seats, and the Seviper lifted itself off the ground. They were only a few yards from the table when the large door was blasted clear off the hinges. The Trainers raised their arms to shield themselves.

"Jeez, what is the matter with you, huh? Don't you have any…" the older Trainer started. Through the dust, he could see a Metagross and a Luxray standing side by side, along with two Lucarios.

"… patience?" the Trainer finished. He and his younger partner stood with their jaws open, their Pokémon equally shocked.

"Well, I used to have a lot of patience, but you and your team has worn it down quite a bit," Jethro said. The dust settled, revealing him standing behind his gold-and-silver partner and next to the Sunyshore Gym Leader himself. Along with his Luxray, he looked very enraged. Eloquence didn't look very pleased, either, but her Lucario was a little more relaxed. Jethro, Valin, and their Pokémon, on the other hand, seemed to be rather calm.

Although, to be honest, no one could really tell with Metagross, given its natural glare.

The Seviper was the first to move. It dashed straight towards Luxray with a Poison Tail, knowing it would be ineffective against the other three.

"Iron Tail!" Volkner bellowed. Luxray spun on its left front paw, its tail glowing metallic silver. It slammed right into the Seviper's face, sending it flying to the back wall. Hitmonchan bolted forward, heading straight for Val's Lucario. Its Mach Punch came within a mere centimeter of its target when Lucario suddenly sidestepped it and kicked it into its Trainer. The older Trainer reached for his belt, grasping two Dark Balls. Before he could release his Pokémon, Metagross snatched them away with Psychic, putting them in Jethro's hands. The Wandering Hero's expression turned from calm to disgust and menace as he looked at the older Trainer, who was backing away slowly.

"Sic 'em," Jethro growled. The Trainer bolted for the table. He only took two steps before he felt a thick metal leg slam him from behind and pin him against the wall. His Seviper suddenly darted from the hole in the wall, slithering towards Jethro with incredible speed. Eloquence's Lucario sent it flying back once again with an Aura Sphere, knocking it out. Valin's Lucario used Flash Cannon on the Hitmonchan, knocking it out as well. Jethro walked up to the older Trainer, balancing the two Dark Balls in his hands. He rested his back against the wall and looked him right in the eye.

"So what's your name?" Jethro asked. The Trainer stared at him as if he were insane before stammering his answer.

"I'm- I'm- I'm, uh… Bryan. Name's Bryan."

"Bryan! Nice name. A Celtic baby name; meaning brave and virtuous. Tell me, Bryan, what is a brave and virtuous man like you doing with a job like this?" Jethro said in his unmistakable interrogation tone.

"I, uh- I- I just… needed a well-paying job, I guess. I was unemployed, couldn't find work, and some guy came up to me and offered it, I guess."

Jethro raised an eyebrow. "Given your age, you couldn't have been unemployed all your life. What did you do before?"

"I uh- I worked as a security guard at the Pokétch company."

"Really? How the heck did you get unemployed?" Jethro asked, surprised.

"We had a break-in one night, and my leg got broken. They eventually let me go, since I couldn't run as fast anymore."

"Yeah, I could tell by the way you were favoring the leg… After that, I assume you were out of a job for some time, and when the Sinister Division approached you and paid you up front, you couldn't refuse, right?"

"Well, no, actually they threatened to kill my family in Snowpoint City."

"Your family is in Snowpoint and you live in Hearthome? I'm not sure I-"

"Divorced."

"Ah, yeah. Sorry about that. So you just took the job and did it to the best of your abilities… a good policy, but wrong group. I suppose you want a better job?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

"I can do that for you. Volkner here can help me, right Volkner?" Jethro asked as he looked to the Gym Leader.

"As long as they don't use my city for one of their supply depots anymore, I'll do whatever I can to help," Volkner said. His eyes looked to the Dark Balls as he spoke. Jethro looked down at his hands.

"Ah, yes, the Dark Balls. Are these your own Pokémon, or were they supplied for you?" he asked the older man.

"Supplied," he replied.

"Good. That way I can do this," he said as he released the Pokémon. They landed behind the others; a Scizor and a Toxicroak. Both of them bolted towards the others, pincers and poisonous knuckle claws bared and glowing with attacks.

Before they could come within a yard of their targets, Jethro sliced the falling Dark Balls with his sword, releasing the sinister grip on the Pokémon. They two stopped in their tracks and blinked, their eyes becoming clear and full.

"You two are free now. Go on; reclaim your new lives," Jethro told them. They looked at each other for a moment, then turned and raced out the fallen door. "You can let the man go now, Metagross," he told his partner. The Iron Leg Pokémon slowly released its grip, allowing the man to brace his leg against his weight. Metagross then levitated the man's cane to him, placing it in his hand.

"Thank you," the man said. Jethro nodded, and then turned to the younger one.

"Now, what's your name?" he asked a second time.

"Earl," came the reply.

"Translates to 'Chief'… not quite your rightful position there, Earl, eh? Tell me, is this your own Hitmonchan?"

"Yes, it is. I assume you want the Dark Balls I have on me?"

"You assume correctly, as a wise chief would. Fork 'em over, please," Jethro said as he held out his hand. Earl looked to his fainted Hitmonchan, with Valin's Lucario still on top of it. "Nice try, kid. I can see your back already arched so you can reach the back of your belt," Jethro said. Earl grinned.

"Then you know I'm gonna do _this!" _he said as he released his Pokémon.

"Yeah, saw it coming," Jethro muttered to himself as he arched backwards, landed on his hands and flipped onto his feet, landing between Valin and Volkner. He looked over to the two Pokémon Earl had sent out.

His heart nearly sank.

"You have _got _to be pulling my leg," Metagross muttered.

"Which one?" Eloquence's Lucario asked.

"Quiet, you," Metagross growled.

"You two mind focusing for a while?" Jethro intervened. He looked back to the two problems;

A Charizard and a Blaziken stood before them, their eyes dark and contracted. Both were growling deeply, and their characteristic flames were blazing dangerously intense. Charizard had its eyes on the Lucarios, whereas the Blaziken was looking towards Metagross and Luxray.

"This can't be good," Volkner said.

_"__Not for you, at least," _the Blaziken growled, its voice unnervingly dark.

"What'd it say?" Volkner asked Jethro.

"In simple terms, we're in big trouble," Jethro replied. Before anyone else could move, the two dark starters attacked. Charizard blasted both Lucarios with a Flamethrower while Blaziken swiftly knocked Luxray out with a Dig attack. Metagross pinned it against the wall with Psychic.

"Burner! Assistance!" Jethro bellowed as he launched the Poké Ball. The second his Blaziken touched the ground, it bolted right at its sinister counterpart, kicking it right through the wall. Metagross turned its Psychic attack towards Charizard, slamming it hard into the ground. Thankfully, Valin's Lucario had created a large Aura Sphere to protect itself and its partners. It looked back to Eloquence's Lucario.

It was paralyzed with fear. The Flamethrower had reminded it of the Houndooms. Its eyes were wide with horror.

"Elly, call your Lucario back! I can handle this!" Valin shouted as he reached for a Master Ball. Elly rushed over and grabbed her Lucario just before Charizard unleashed another Flamethrower, carrying it behind the table, now turned on its side. Lucario growled softly, choking back tears.

"It's alright, Lucario, it's alright… I'm here," Eloquence comforted. She took a moment before yelling over the table. "Get 'em, Val!"

"Go, Zapdos!" he yelled. The Legendary Electric Pokémon settled between Charizard and the others, glaring menacingly at its opponent. Volkner stood awestruck, his mouth hanging open.

"Incredible," he said.

"Eh… you kinda get used to it," Jethro said indifferently as he stepped through the hole that the Blazikens went through. He expected to see his Burner standing over the fainted dark Blaziken. Instead he came upon a much different scene.

The dark Blaziken had Burner's arm twisted behind its back.

"Dude… what are you doing?" Jethro asked, dumbfounded. Burner looked up at him with an embarrassed, sheepish grin.

_"__You are _not_ gonna believe what reason I have for this,"_ he said. Jethro crossed his arms.

"Try me."

_"__The, uh… Blaziken behind me is- whoa!" _Burner was lifted and thrown forward, landing on its back right on front of Jethro.

"Don't tell me…" Jethro started, realizing the expression on Burner's face.

_"__Yep,"_ Burner replied, looking back up at its opponent. _"That's a female."_ Looking at the dark Pokémon, Jethro noticed the telltale signs of gender difference. The feathers on this Blaziken's head were shorter than Burner's.

"Well… that's problematic," Jethro admitted. "I don't suppose you're accustomed to hitting females?"

_"__Nope."_

"You kinda like this one, don't you?" The dark Blaziken darted forward, grabbing Burner's legs.

_"__You could say that,"_ he said as he was thrown across the dock. Jethro brought up his Pokétch and typed in a command. A Dowsing Machine app was activated, scanning the surrounding are for the specific item. The screen indicated it was located to his left.

"Ah, there you… are…" he said as he looked to his left, only to see a large water tank.

Right where the dark Blaziken's Dark Ball was shown on the screen.

"Well, that's just great," he muttered as he heard Zapdos unleash a powerful Thunderbolt upon Charizard. He bolted for the tank, scrambling up the ladder. Meanwhile, Burner was trying to avoid a number of Fire Punches and Sky Uppercuts from his new dancing partner.

_"__Anytime, Jethro!"_ Burner called to his Trainer. The distraction gave the female the opportune window to land a Sky Uppercut right to his jaw. Burner was slammed into the side of the water tank. He slowly got up, rubbing his jaw. _"Not quite used to being on the other end of that attack,"_ he muttered. He looked up to see the female racing towards him with incredible speed. _"Oh, Aerial Ace, huh? This is gonna hurt,"_ Burner said as it braced itself for a super-effective hit.

Suddenly, there was a sharp _thump _against the barrel next to him. Burner opened its eyes to see the dazed female Blaziken holding her head. Two broken halves of a Dark Ball fell to the ground right between them. Both Blazikens looked up to see Jethro clinging to the ladder, scimitar in hand.

"You're welcome," he said with a grin.

_"__Kinda cutting it close, aren't you, boss?"_ Burner chuckled.

"Oh, I dunno, I think I timed that pretty well," Jethro grinned. All of a sudden the dark Charizard was hurled through the wall, bouncing across the pier. Zapdos flew after it, its claws outstretched. Before the Charizard could get to its legs and fly away, Zapdos grabbed its neck and right wing and flew into the sky. It tried to land several attacks on Zapdos, but none of them could hit their mark. Zapdos flew high, almost reaching the dark clouds above.

"Alright, Zapdos… use Thunder!" Valin bellowed. Zapdos released Charizard, throwing it closer to the clouds. It spread its spiked wings, and an electric current surged through them. The clouds above began to rumble, and suddenly a bolt of electricity came down and struck Zapdos. Charizard expected the bolt to harm Zapdos, but the wielder of thunderclouds looked to be enjoying the electric treatment! Its beak twisted into a small grin, the Electric Pokémon let loose the charged attack. The massive bolt of lightning slammed into Charizard, the super-effective attributes causing Charizard to roar out in great pain.

Jethro looked over to Burner and noticed that the female Blaziken had somewhat hid behind him. Burner looked down and then over to Jethro, with an expression that said "Is there anything you can do about that?" Jethro gave a small nod, put his finger and thumb in his mouth, and whistled sharp and loud. The harsh noise reached Zapdos, causing it to look down and cease its attack. Charizard started to fall, its tail almost extinguished. The female Blaziken acted swiftly, dashing from behind Blaziken and leaping onto the top of the warehouse. It then leapt from the building like a rocket from a launching pad, soaring through the sky and catching its partner in midair. Burner leapt from where it stood, soaring right up to help its significant other. Together they both landed on the ground skillfully, their knees bending to compensate their velocity. They set Charizard on the ground gently, the female holding its tail up.

"Let me see if I have a Revive and Full Restore," Jethro said, swinging his backpack around and kneeling by the downed starter. "Hey, Elly! Volkner! Did you guys get his Dark Ball yet?" he yelled to their friends in the warehouse.

"We got it, Jethro!" Volkner yelled back.

"Toss it out here," Valin said as he walked over to the large hole in the wall. He caught the Dark Ball and then threw it to Jethro. "Batter up!" he yelled, and Jethro stood up, swung his sword, and cut the Dark Ball clean in two. He then immediately went back to healing the Charizard.

"So why did act so swiftly to help your friend, may I ask?" Jethro said to the female Blaziken. It looked to Burner, who nodded in confirmation of his Trainer's trust.

_"__Well, we girls have to stick together, right?" _it said to Jethro. He looked up, his eyebrows raised.

"Both are female? Very interesting," he said as he applied the Revive to the Charizard, immediately followed by the Full Restore. "There. She should be fine in no time. In the meantime," Jethro said as he stood up and looked over to the main port, "we have a plane-boat to catch." Before he returned his Metagross and Burner to their respective Poké Balls, he looked to the female Blaziken.

"I don't suppose you've been to Kalos before, have you?" he asked.


End file.
